The Umbrella
by StoryQuipster
Summary: He knows that he has somehow screwed up and he really wants to fix things but he doesn't even know what he did wrong that he hasn't already fixed.


**The Umbrella**

* * *

He's just about to leave for a mission when it starts raining.

He curses loudly and a few people stare at him. Honestly, he didn't mean to make some kind of scene. It's just that he has to leave for his job _right now_ and the idea of walking around in the pouring rain doesn't really appeal to him. He knows that he probably doesn't have the right to be so irritated—it's kind of his fault after all. He's seen the thick, dark clouds looming over the sky this morning but he dismissed it because he figured that it wouldn't really rain this early in the summer. He can borrow an umbrella from his guildmates but judging from the loud groans and half-annoyed sighs resounding from across the guild, he figures that nobody thought to bring an umbrella or a raincoat as well.

He's in the process of heading back to the counter to tell Mirajane that he won't be taking the job after all, when it comes to him.

"Juvia!" he says and then he laughs because he's kind of an idiot for not thinking of this before.

No matter where she goes, she always has her umbrella with her. She once told him that she does it out of habit—even though it's been a long time since the rain has stopped following her around, she's still kind of paranoid that it will suddenly show up. He always thought that her brining it around (even when they're on the beach) was kind of funny, but now he's glad that she does it.

He walks over towards her, where she is sitting next to Gajeel and Levy. She looks worried, her brows pinched together and her mouth set into a little frown. Vaguely, he can hear her profusely declaring to Gajeel and Levy that the rain most certainly isn't caused by her. Gajeel gives an annoyed huff and he waspishly tells her that no one's blaming her and that she should quit yammering because even if she did cause it, it's not as if anybody will care anyway. Juvia opens her mouth to retort but her response is cut off by the sound of Gray clearing his throat.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia happily says as she excitedly waves at him. Gajeel rolls his eyes while Levy gives an amused grin. "Juvia thought that you were going on a mission!"

"I am but...er...it's raining..." he mumbles, a little nervous that he might say something wrong. He knows how sensitive Juvia is about the rain and he doesn't want her to feel as if he's blaming her.

"Oh, but the rain isn't Juvia's fault! It's natural! Juvia swears," she defensively says.

"Of course it's not your fault," he firmly says. "These things happen. Nobody's blaming you."

Gajeel loudly snorts. "Yeah, try convincing her of that."

Juvia glares at him as she gives him a light punch on the arm.

"Anyways," Gray says as he attempts to divert her attention back to him. "I really need to go right now. If I don't, I'll miss my train. I was wondering if I could borrow your umbrella?"

He is surprised by Juvia's reaction.

She blinks at him once, almost as if she doesn't understand what he is saying. She nervously tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear and splutters, "You...you want to borrow J-Juvia's umbrella?"

"Um...yeah," he says, thoroughly confused by the anxious look on her face.

"Well...er...Juvia doesn't really know..." she mumbles as she looks down and avoids his gaze.

He tries to reel from the shock of Juvia being unsure. The idea of her denying him _anything_ is so absurd that it has never really crossed his mind before. He takes in the way she's shifting in her seat, her hesitant eyes, her teeth chewing on her bottom lip as she mulls over it. He suddenly feels embarrassed for asking and he's about to turn around and say that he doesn't really need it when the thought comes to him: _It's an umbrella_. She's getting worked up over a stupid umbrella. He's a little confused but he chalks it up to another case of her being weird.

Levy looks just as confused (and shocked) that Juvia's in the process of turning Gray down but Gajeel just sort of looks nonchalant, as if he completely understands Juvia's reaction.

"Come on, Juvia. I really need it," he pleads. "My employer expects me to meet up with him by tomorrow morning."

"Well...J-Juvia supposes that she can let Gray-sama borrow her umbrella," she says after an instant's pause. Gajeel's eyes widen, clearly surprised with her answer.

Gray grins at her and he says, "Thanks, Juvia! I'll have it back with me tomorrow evening!"

"O-Okay," Juvia says as she takes the umbrella and gingerly hands it to him. Her face is still screwed up in a worried look and there's a crease in between her brows. When he takes it from her hands, she gives a little spasm, almost as if she's a little pained that it's being parted from her.

He examines the umbrella, cringing at the way it's so pink and girly. But he figures that it's okay. It's certainly better being soaked wet by the rain.

"Thanks again! I'll see you later!" he says as he gives her a small pat on the shoulder.

He's about halfway across the guild when he hears Juvia call his name out. "Gray-sama!"

He turns around and finds her barreling towards him, an anxious look on her face. "Yeah?"

"Um..." She twiddles with her thumbs. "Juvia...Juvia just wants to ask Gray-sama to take good care of her umbrella..."

He stares at her, surprised by her strange request. Of course, he's going to take care of her umbrella. It's not as if he's an irresponsible idiot who can't keep track of his things. He places a hand on her shoulder as he smiles at her and says, "I'll take care of it. Don't worry."

She gives him an uncharacteristically serious look when she meets his eyes. "Promise?"

He squeezes her shoulder and her cheeks redden at the contact. Before she can launch off into another one of her imagination-spiels, he nods his head and says, "Promise."

He gives a startled grunt when she tackles him into a hug. "Okay! Good luck in your mission Gray-sama!"

She bounds off, the anxious look in her face completely gone. He just chuckles and shakes his head.

Honestly, even until now, he can't keep up with her mood swings.

* * *

He comes back to the guild the next day, a bit later than he had expected.

Only a few people have stayed behind at this hour. Mirajane is by the counter, clearing things up while Cana is sitting in the corner, chugging down another tankard of beer. Natsu's still here, pigging out on some roast beef while Macao, Jet and Droy are talking amongst themselves in the side. Aside from them, the place is practically deserted.

He groans as he stretches his arms, completely worn out. The mission was a lot more exhausting than he had expected. He was supposed to escort a kid from one town to another and although they had a relatively uneventful trip for the first thirty minutes, a couple of men hoping to kidnap the boy for ransom showed up. He managed to fight them off but a good chunk of his power was drained as a result.

"Gray-sama!"

His line of thought gets interrupted as Juvia comes bounding up towards him. He's actually a little surprised that she's still here. She usually goes home earlier than most people. But he figures that it probably isn't much of a stretch that Juvia is here, waiting for him. As she approaches him, her lips start folding into a frown.

"Hey, Juvia. What are you doing so late out here in the guild?" Gray says. Juvia stops in front of him, her eyes searching as they sweep over his form. It's almost as if she's looking for something.

"Juvia...Juvia was waiting for you..." she distractedly says as the crease in between her brows deepens.

"That's nice," he awkwardly says, not really sure how to respond. While it's flattering that she's staying up so late to wait for him, he's a bit freaked out. He's kind of used to Juvia's (weird) public displays of affection but that doesn't mean that he doesn't get startled by them every single time.

"Listen, Juvia...I've had a long day so if you could just back up a little—''

"Where's Juvia's umbrella?" she abruptly asks.

"What?" he says, confused by her question.

"Where's Juvia's umbrella? She doesn't see it with you," she says, her voice losing its upbeat inflections.

"Oh! Right! Your umbrella! I have it right here with..." He trails off when he realizes that he's not holding it. He wildly looks around as he attempts look for it. He could've sworn that he brought it with him.

"Where is it Gray-sama?" Juvia says. Her voice is uneven and there's a sharp edge to it.

"I don't know. I guess...I guess that I must've lost it..." he mumbles. He lost his jacket and his shirt a while back so he figures that he must have lost the umbrella as well.

"You...you lost it?" Juvia says, her voice cracking with an emotion that he can't decipher.

"Yeah. I'm so sorry. I'm such an idiot..."

"Are you...are you sure that you lost it? As in...you can't ever get it back?"

"I probably dropped it or something during the fight. It's probably somewhere in Cedar. There's no use in me going back to find it. I bet that it's long gone by now—''

He is interrupted by the sound of raindrops splattering against the roof. Thunder suddenly resounds across the entire guild as the rain pummels against the roof harder. He looks back at Juvia and sees that she is opening and closing her eyes rapidly, almost as if she's trying to blink back tears. Her fingers are clenched and her bottom lip is quivering.

"Juvia?"

"You lost it?" she repeats, her voice slightly acidic.

"Er...yes—''

"And you can't get it back?"

"N-No." He takes a step back as her face darkens. He defensively holds his hands up. "I'm sorry. But I must have gotten distracted. I ran into a couple of mages who were trying to kidnap my employer's kid so my hands were a little full—''

_"Why would you do that?_" she explodes.

Gray stiffens, taken aback by her outburst. Everyone in the guild stops what they are doing, their attention drawn towards Gray and Juvia. Juvia's hands are shaking and her eyes are watered with an emotion that is somewhere in between anger, pain and sorrow.

"_I'm sorry_," he says. He's yelling as well, he realizes. But he doesn't care. She's acting all crazy over a stupid umbrella—it's as if he murdered a puppy in front of her. He's tired and sore and he doesn't really feel like being yelled at. "It was an accident. I didn't lose your umbrella on purpose. Look, it's not a big deal. Just calm down. I can get you another one. It's just an umbrella—''

"Just an umbrella?" Juvia bristles.

"I'm just saying that there's no reason for you to get this upset—''

"It's okay," she suddenly says, cutting him off. It's still raining but she looks like she has calmed down. Her hands are no longer balled into fists and her eyes just have this weary, tired look to them.

"W-What?" he sputters, confused at the sudden turn of her emotions. He can feel his face flushing even further when he realizes that everyone else is intently listening into their conversation.

"Juvia said...that it's okay. Gray-sama doesn't have to apologize anymore." Her voice is uneven and he can tell that she's struggling to maintain her calm. "Juvia...Juvia is sorry for her outburst. She will go home now."

She starts walking past him. Even though she looks collected, he can see that her hands are still trembling and her eyes are glazing over with a glassy, wet look. She's about to cry and he knows that it's somehow his fault. Even though she has already said it, he knows that nothing is okay.

"Juvia, wait!" He grabs her by the elbow. "_I'm sorry_. How many more times do I have to say it?"

"You _promised_, Gray-sama," she says without turning around to face him.

"Juvia—''

"You promised and Juvia...Juvia _trusted_ you," she says in a tight voice. "This...this is the first time Gray-sama has ever disappointed Juvia..."

He gives an impatient sigh because seriously. She's being dramatic over nothing. "For fuck's sake Juvia! I think that you're overreacting! It's just an umbrella! I can get you another one from the nearest shop!"

"Well, Juvia thinks that you shouldn't make promises you can't keep," she says as she wrenches her arm free from his grip. Mirajane and Cana gasp and everyone stiffens in shock.

His stomach twists and his chest clenches as he watches her walk away. He still thinks that she's overreacting (he lost a freaking umbrella, for fuck's sake) and that she doesn't have the right to be so upset with him, but it doesn't make him feel any less of an ass. He has hurt her and he feels sick at the thought of making her upset.

"Nice job, Gray!" Cana sarcastically says as he lumbers off into the counter to get a drink.

He's going to need it if he's ever going to have a chance of getting rid of the hard, uncomfortable feeling that's moiling around in his chest.

* * *

When he gets to Juvia's dorm building, he's sopping wet.

He stands in front of her door and fiddles with the package in his hands. It took him awhile to find it since almost all of the stores were closed and he had a bit of trouble moving from place to place with all this rain. But he's kind of happy with what he managed to buy. It's this yellow umbrella that has flower patterns and butterflies on it—it's exactly the kind of cutesy things she likes. It's not as girly as her first umbrella but he thinks that it's just as nice. And besides, he spent a really long time trying to find this so she will hopefully like it.

He stares at her door, a lump forming in his throat. He's crazy-nervous and he doesn't really know why. This whole thing is going to smoothen things out between them but he still can't shake off the feeling that he did something really wrong and that it can't be fixed with him just giving her an umbrella.

He raps his knuckles against the door.

She doesn't answer.

He knocks again.

Silence.

He decides to give it one more go before turning around and going home. It's three a.m in the morning so he figures that she's already asleep. He knocks again and she doesn't answer. He's halfway into turning around when her door opens by a tiny crack.

When he sees her, he feels ten times worse.

Her face is flushed and her eyes are red. Her knuckles are raw and he can tell that it's because she's been crying. Her hair hangs like a mop across her face and she has a wad of tissues in her hands. She's wearing an oversized shirt and a pair of panties but instead of being flustered that Gray has seen her like this, she merely looks at him with sad, tired eyes.

"Gray-sama?"

"Juvia," he mumbles. He nervously fidgets in his place. "I...um..."

Fuck.

If there's one thing he can't handle, it's crying girls.

The entire apology speech he had worked out a while ago completely disappears from his line of thought. What comes out of his mouth instead is, "Are you okay?"

Lame.

Very lame.

"Yes...Juvia...um...Juvia had just been reading..." The last word come out strained. She coughs into her wad of tissues and clears her throat before continuing. "...a really, really sad book..."

"Oh," he says. It's obviously not true and he feels even more terrible knowing that she's lying for his benefit.

"Juvia...Juvia wants to apologize," she quickly says, beating him to his apology.

"No, I should be the one apologizing," Gray quickly says. He looks at the ceiling and tries to search for the right words. "I lost...I lost your umbrella even when I promised I would take good care of it...and..."

"_No. _Gray-sama was right. Juvia was being too melodramatic over...over a really stupid thing. She shouldn't have snapped at you, especially since you just came back from a really long mission." Her words sound sincere and he relaxes a little, because at least he knows that she isn't completely mad at him anymore. "She was being over-emotional over...over something so silly and she was quite rude to Gray-sama and—''

"Juvia, it's fine. You shouldn't have to apologize," he says even if he does think that she caused a great, big fuss over nothing. "I borrowed your umbrella and I said that I would return it in one piece and...I didn't even return it all. Your reaction was...was...erm...justified, I guess."

He thrusts the package before she can speak any further. "Here. I'm hoping that this will make it up to you."

She carefully takes the package and runs a finger through its wrapper. Her eyes suddenly widen and an excited look fills her face. She starts tearing at the paper as she says, "You found Juvia's umbrella? Gray-sama, you really didn't have to—_Oh_."

She stares at the yellow umbrella in her hands with a crestfallen expression.

"Don't you like it?" Gray asks her when he sees the expression on her face.

Her eyes momentarily mist over in disappointment and she bites at her bottom lip as she turns the umbrella over in her hands. She looks torn between being touched and being upset.

Then she looks at him with a wide smile. She leans forward and wraps him in a hug. "It's beautiful, Gray-sama! Juvia is very grateful!"

The tether in his chest snaps. He breathes a sigh of relief as he snakes an arm around her waist. "Yeah? You really like it?"

"Yes," she says as she leans back.

His smile disappears when he sees her face. Her lips are pulled into a smile but the disappointment is palpable in her eyes. She's chewing on her bottom lip and there's a tiny dimple in between her brows. He's known her long enough to know that she's lying through her teeth.

"Juvia—''

"Thank you again, Gray-sama!" Juvia says as she takes a step back into her dorm room. Before he can say another word, Juvia says, "Juvia will go to sleep now! Good night!"

"But—''

She closes the door before he can say another word.

* * *

He's about to down his fifth shot when Gajeel barrels straight towards him, his fists clenched and an angry look in his eyes.

Gajeel grabs him by the collar and growls, "Okay, Stripper. What the fuck did you do?"

"What?" Gray distractedly says. He's not drunk enough to start doing stupid things but he's kind of buzzed. He spent the whole morning drinking because he's upset that he still hasn't fixed things between him and Juvia. He had been planning to talk things out with her but she didn't stop by the guild at all. Even though she's blowing things way out of proportion, he still hates himself for hurting her.

And he doesn't even understand why she was so disappointed with the umbrella he had given her. He had replaced her umbrella with an umbrella that was just as cute—if not, even more so. He's pretty sure that, that's the standard when it comes to losing things. You replace the things you lost with something that is of similar or better quality. He scrubs a dry hand through his face. Was it the wrong kind of umbrella?

He knows that he has somehow screwed up and he really wants to fix things but he doesn't even know what he did wrong that he hasn't already fixed.

"What the fuck did you do to Juvia? If you made her cry I swear I'll—''

"How do you even know anyway?" he asks because mentioning Juvia has definitely caught his attention.

Gajeel rolls his eyes and points at the roof, which is being pelted with rainwater. "Because it's raining, dumbass. And don't try to weasel out of it by telling me that it's natural rain. I know what Juvia's rain is like."

He doesn't know why but he can feel a spasm of annoyance in his chest when Gajeel says that. "You can tell which is real rain and—''

"Not the point," Gajeel gruffly says. He tightens his hold on Gray's collar. "Now what the fuck did you do to her?"

"I don't know!" Gray cries out, frustrated.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Gajeel says as he narrows his eyes against Gray.

Gray sighs as he rubs the back of his neck. When he starts talking, the words start stumbling against each other. "I mean...I lost the umbrella she lent me—''

"_You what_?" Gajeel says in a shocked and horrified tone.

"Yes," Gray impatiently says, simultaneously annoyed and confused at Gajeel's reaction. Seriously. It's an umbrella and he's lost it. And okay, he gets it. He made a stupid mistake and he screwed up and he already knows that. And he's tried to apologize to her for like a million times. Hell, he even spent three hours in the dead of the night, wandering from shop to shop in the rain, trying to find the perfect umbrella.

Fuck.

What gives?

"You lost her umbrella?" Gajeel repeats, as if the idea is so inconceivable that he can't quite wrap his mind around it.

"I already told you that!" Gray waspishly responds.

"You mean you lost it? The pink umbrella? The one with the hearts and—''

"Yes! That umbrella!" Gray says.

A serious look crosses Gajeel's face. "And you absolutely can't get it back?"

"I don't think so. I think I lost it when I was fighting those asshats in Cedar. It's probably long gone by now," Gray shrugs.

"Seriously? You can't _ever_ get it back?"

"I don't think so."

Gajeel lets go of him and crashes against the chair, a completely stunned look on his face. He places a hand on his forehead as he says, "_Shit_."

"_Exactly_. She lost her shit when I told her. And I've been trying to apologize and make it up to her like crazy! For fuck's sake, I spent three hundred seventy jewels on that goddamn umbrella I bought to replace the one I lost! And she's still upset," he says as he wrings his hands in frustration.

Gajeel looks at him as if he's stupid and he shakes his head. "That's because it can't ever be replaced, you dumbass."

"What...what are you talking about?" Gray says, thoroughly confused.

Gajeel looks at him in surprise. His lips fold into a frown as he crosses his arms. "She didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

Gajeel looks at the countertop in contemplation before giving a defeated sigh and leaning forward. He motions for Gray to lean in closer before looking around, a secretive look in his face. Finally, he says in a conspiratorial tone, "Look, it's not my place to tell you and she doesn't want word of this going out because she hates talking about _it_ but..."

He trails off in hesitation.

"What? What is it?" Gray impatiently says.

Gajeel gives another look of hesitation before saying, "The umbrella was the last thing her parents ever gave her before they died and she wound up in an orphanage. In fact, it's the last and _only_ thing she has from them. _Period_. She really cares about it. She won't go anywhere without it. In fact, she's really crazy about protecting it. Says that it's because she doesn't want to lose the last link she has of her parents. She _never_, _ever_ lends it to anyone. Not even to _me_. Hell, she'd let me drown in the goddamn rain before letting me borrow that stupid umbrella."

He pauses as Gray tries to wrap his mind around all of things Gajeel had just told him.

"In fact, I was shocked that she actually agreed to let you borrow it. Thought she'd say no," Gajeel shrugs. "Figures you would be the only person who she would lend it to. She must've trusted you enough to let you borrow it."

"And I fucked up," he miserably says as the words finally sink in. She trusted him and he betrayed her trust. His sinks lower into his chair, shame washing over him. No wonder Juvia was so upset. He lost the only thing she has that reminds her of her parents. What he did was absolutely unforgivable. He knew all too well how hard it was to lose people you care about and how the little things that remind you of them, are the only things that can comfort you. And he took that away from her.

He really hates himself right now.

"Yeah, you did. If you don't do anything about this, I will bash your head in, you hear me?" Gajeel says as he gives Gray a threatening look.

But Gray isn't paying attention to him. His mind is already far off as he desperately tries to think of a way to salvage this situation.

He stands up, cutting Gajeel's long rant of threats.

"Oi! Where are you going?" Gajeel barks as Gray starts hurtling towards the door.

He scarcely has the time to reply as he raises his hand and waves. "To the train station!"

* * *

Sneaking past Erza and the dorm guardian's pretty easy since he gets there late in the evening. On his way here, the rain has lightened up so he figures that Juvia must be feeling better. Which is a great thing because he's hoping to get this whole thing sorted out by the end of the night. He's tired and he's sore and there are bruises and scratches all over his body. He feels a little loopy because there's a lump on his head so he's hoping that he'll be focused enough to give her a proper apology.

He knocks on her door and this time, she opens it on his first try. Her eyes are still red but she's cleaned up and she looks better than she did the night before. When she sees him, her eyes widen and she shrieks, "_Gray-sama_!"

He winces because her screaming isn't really helping the ringing that's in his ears. But he supposes that her reaction is justifiable because yeah, he looks like _shit_.

"What happened!? Who did this to you!? _Juvia will kill them_!" she says, her eyes darkening and her voice taking on a sharp edge. The rain suddenly pelts against the roof harder.

"Don't mind me. I'm fine—''

He's cut off by the feel of Juvia's skin against his. He stiffens at the contact as she places an arm around his waist and forces him to lean against her side. Before he can protest, she carefully leads him into her room and sets him down the couch. She then scrambles into her kitchen, her voice frantic as she says, "Oh...where's Juvia's first aid kit? Hang on, Gray-sama! Juvia will make you feel better!"

He rubs at the sore spot at the back of his head and says, "Juvia! Oi! I don't need you to—_ah_!"

He grimaces when she presses a cotton ball dipped in antiseptic into his wound.

"Hold still, Gray-sama! Juvia can't treat you if your squirming—''

"Damn it, Juvia! Haven't you noticed it!?" The words come out of his mouth in a half-yell.

She leans back and glares at him, her cheeks flushed. He can tell that it's from anger because her lips are puckered into a pout and her brows are dipped down low. And also, he knows that she hasn't entirely forgiven him. She's still pissed at him and it makes him feel really horrible because he never would've thought that Juvia's the kind of person who can stay mad at a person for so long.

"Noticed what?" she coldly says as she arches a brow.

He sighs before thrusting the umbrella he's been holding in his hand towards her. She blinks at it once, almost as if she can't believe that it's actually there. Her trembling fingers reach out to touch it, her hands experimentally running across the handle.

Tears start pooling at the corner of her eyes.

"Is this..."

"It's um..." He nervously shifts in his place as he starts rubbing the back of his head. "It's kind of banged up and it wouldn't open at first because the bottom spring wouldn't work but...but...um I tried fixing it up as best as I could with my ice make. We...we could take it to a shop tomorrow but...I just wanted you to see this first—''

She takes it from his hand and clutches it close to her chest. Tears are streaming down her face and he can tell that she's trying to discreetly wipe them away with the back of her hand.

"But Juvia...Juvia thought that this was long gone," she whispers.

"I...um..." He gives a nonchalant shrug. "Well, I lied."

"But Gray-sama—oh no! Is this the reason why you're injured?" She leans forward and places a hand on his chest, worried. "Juvia feels terrible! You shouldn't have gone through all the trouble!"

"Oh, please. Getting the umbrella back was a piece of cake," he says. It's not true but the things he had to go through to get the umbrella back is something he'd really rather not remember.

Juvia gives him a disbelieving look. Him wincing as another throb pounds through his right temple probably does not help.

"Juvia knows that you're lying," she says.

"Look, it's not a big deal. It's the least I could do after..." He trails off and awkwardly stares at the ground.

"Gray-sama..."

"Juvia...I shouldn't have lost your umbrella. It was really inconsiderate of me and—''

"No, Gray-sama. Juvia was the inconsiderate one. She lashed out against you over the stupidest thing—''

"It's not stupid," he firmly says. "It's the umbrella your parents gave you and—''

"How do you know that?" she asks in a voice that is equal parts surprised and equal parts suspicious.

"Gajeel told me about it," he says.

"Oh."

"Anyways, treasuring something that was given by a person or persons you love isn't stupid," he mumbles, extremely uncomfortable. He really wants to go, right now, because their conversation is dangerously heading into sensitive territory.

"But it's really silly though. Juvia...Juvia acted as if the umbrella wasn't something that her parents had given her. She acted as if the umbrella _was_ her parents. Losing it was the equivalent to losing them. Juvia realized...that it's kind of silly now. Juvia's parents don't live on in the umbrella...they live on in her heart," she says. The words come out in stuttering gasps and he can tell that she's trying really hard not to cry.

"Yeah...but the physical links help sometimes," he adds.

"Can you ever forgive me, Gray-sama?" she asks in a worried voice.

"You don't even have to apologize," Gray says. "You're the one who should be forgiving me."

"Juvia already has," she tells him. When he sees the grin on her face, he can feel some of the tension building up in his chest rolling away.

Silence envelops them for a few minutes.

"Juvia...Juvia wants to ask Gray-sama a question," she says in a hesitant voice.

"Yeah?"

"Do...do you always think about Ur?" she timidly asks him.

He looks away and his throat involuntarily tightens. The word comes out of his mouth liked lead. "_Always_."

He is taken aback when she leans forward and wraps him into a hug. The sound of rain pelting against the roof stops and he looks out of the window and sees that the dark clouds are dimming and the night sky is becoming clear.

Juvia leans back and she says, "Juvia wants to thank you Gray-sama! Nobody has ever done something like this for her before!"

A dreamy look crosses her face and she spaces out as she clutches as her slowly reddening cheeks.

"Oi! Stop that!" Gray says he quickly stands up, flustered. "I only went to the trouble of getting that umbrella back because Gajeel would kill me if I didn't!"

Juvia gives him another disbelieving smirk and she nods her head as she patronizingly says, "Sure, Gray-sama. Whatever you say."

Heat spreads from the base of his neck all the way to his cheeks. He quickly hobbles out of the room as Juvia stands up and says, "Gray-sama! Where are you going?"

"Home! I need to get some sleep!"

"But you're injured!" Juvia protests as she tries to scramble after him.

"Goodnight Juvia!" he says as he hurries out of the door.

Honestly, he just wants to get out of here because he thinks that she's starting to figure him out and he isn't really prepared for that.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I wanted this to be angst but I could never follow through xD I like happy endings. Inspired by me wondering why, despite the outfit change, Juvia still kept her pink umbrella.

Thank you to those who reviewed and added my other gruvia fics (Third Wheel, Shoot the Clocks, The Necklace) into their favorites. I really appreciate your feedback!

Please tell me what you think of the story. I hope you had a good read! :)


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